Gibson Guitar Announces Austin GuitarTown Auction Gala Date

Press release
Source: Rogers & Cowan

Gibson Guitar, the world’s premier musical instrument maker and leader in music technology, announced the date of the highly anticipated Austin GuitarTown Auction Gala and the release of the commemorative Austin GuitarTown.

The Austin GuitarTown Auction Gala will be held on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 and will represent the culmination of the fantastic year-long public arts project that has graced the city streets of Austin with ten foot tall Gibson Guitar sculptures and showcase (regular size) art guitars since November 2006. The VIP event will give guests the opportunity to bid on the works of art live, online and via phone.

Tickets for the red carpet event are $100.00 per person and will be hosted at GSD&M’s Idea City (828 W. 6th St.). To purchase tickets, please call 888-521 SHOW or visit www.frontgatetickets.com. Proceeds will benefit The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM); The Austin Museum of Art (AMOA); American Youthworks; and the Austin Children's Museum. For more auction information, please visit www.juliensauctions.com.

The vibrant Austin GuitarTown collector’s art book is printed in limited quantity and features exquisite images of the entire collection of Gibson Guitar sculptures and showcase guitars. The book also includes profiles of the participating visual artists along with the musicians and celebrities who supported this hugely successful project. From Dwight Yoakam and ZZ Top to Alejandro Escovedo and Marcia Ball, the book is a memoir of the exhibit which has been recognized worldwide.

While quantities last, the book can be purchased by visiting Waterloo Records and Video, Wild About Music, Austin Museum of Art, Austin Children’s Museum, Austin Visitors Center and The City Store at City Hall. The retail price of the book is $25 plus tax. This collector’s item is the perfect holiday gift or a unique corporate gift giving option. Once the books are sold out they will not be reprinted.

The GuitarTown Project, presented by Gibson Guitar, is a public arts project that features 35 ten foot tall fiberglass Gibson guitars and thirty showcase (regular size) guitars. The project has united the Austin art and music and businesses in raising money for four local charitable organizations. The Austin GuitarTown project is administered through the Gibson Foundation www.gibsonfoundation.org, the philanthropic arm of Gibson Guitar Corp., which is dedicated to improving the quality of life through its support of the arts, education, health & welfare and environmental causes.

For more information, please call (512) 692-4191 or visit www.austinguitartown.com.

About GSD&M
GSD&M is a leading marketing and communications company, founded in 1971 by friends who wanted to stay together in Austin after graduating from college. Through Purpose-Based Branding and Dynamic Collaboration, GSD&M serves up visionary ideas that make a difference for our clients, our country and the world. GSD&M has helped build many of the world’s most successful brands including Southwest Airlines, BMW, MasterCard, AT&T, the PGA Tour and the United States Air Force. For more information go to www.gsdm.com. GSD&M is part of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE:OMC).

About Gibson
Gibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson’s HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar represents the biggest advance in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.’s family of brands now includes Epiphone, Dobro, Maestro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Gibson Baldwin Music Education, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer. Visit Gibson’s website at www.gibson.com.